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The Civil War

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One of my favorite Ken Burns films is the 1994 series Baseball. Now, don’t get me wrong – The Civil War is arguably his best and it’s truly iconic and totally magnificent. However, if a non sports fans like myself can be riveted to every minute of a nine-episode mini-series about America’s pastime then that’s pretty special. Also, it was during promotion for this documentary series that I met the esteemed director so that no doubt colors my affection.

With that in mind, I spied this poster for Baseball in a co-worker’s cubicle a while back and snapped the pic. Play ball!

“In thinking of America, I sometimes find myself admiring her bright blue sky – her grand old woods – her fertile fields – her beautiful rivers – her mighty lakes and star-crowned mountains. But my rapture is soon checked when I remember that all is cursed with the infernal spirit of slaveholding and wrong – when I remember that with the waters of her noblest rivers, the tears of my brethren are borne to the ocean, disregarded and forgotten, that her most fertile fields drink daily of the warm blood of my outraged sisters, I am filled with unutterable loathing.” – Frederick Douglass (Morgan Freeman), The Civil War

Michael Portillo (Great Continental Railway Journeys) crosses the Atlantic for an epic trip down the East Coast. Don’t miss a new eight-part series – Great American Railroad Journeys – premiering Tuesday night at 9 on the Explorer Channel.

“It was because we failed to do the thing we really have a genius for, which is compromise. Americans like to think of themselves as uncompromising. Our true genius is for compromise. Our whole government’s founded on it. And it failed.” – Shelby Foote, The Civil War by Ken Burns

Normally in “Where Do I Know That Actor?” I take a look at programs UNC-TV has aired which feature folks you may know from other series. Today, however, I thought it might be fun to examine the PBS link to the #1 film in the country – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

You may ask yourself what could Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice possibly have in common with PBS and I’d have to honestly confess that the answer is not much on the surface. But if you are one of the hundreds of thousands of moviegoers who flocked to the multiplex over the weekend to catch this blockbuster film you might know the real answer.

To start off – almost all of the stars of the film have appeared in PBS programming at some point in the past. The exceptions that stand out are Jesse Eisenberg (Lex Luthor) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman). But let’s see where the others have popped up, shall we?

Ben Affleck (Bruce Wayne/Batman) got his start on PBS appearing in the educational series The Voyage of the Mimi and The Second Voyage of The Mimi when he was in his teens.

Henry Cavill (Clark Kent/Superman) has been one of the many guest actors on MidsomerMurders. He also appeared on an episode of The InspectorLynleyMysteries. Continue reading →